the remaking of a kitchen

today the weather people mentioned we could get some snow. well, we did, a lot. last evening as i was picking up sarah from betsy's house it was raining - enough that i used the wipers. when i got up this morning, there were little snow flakes in the air, but not sticking to anything. that progressed to sticking to the lawn, and then the trees, the streets.....you get the picture.
sarah's flight was scheduled for 3 takeoff, and it appeared to be on time as far as we could tell and we dropped her off a good hour before that. i called when we got home and suggested she call us if there was a big delay. she said the plane was there and it looked good. according to the website, there was a delay, but it's hard to tell.....the times don't exactly make sense so we will find out when we hear from her.
i took these pictures throughout the day. the one of the large evergreen is of our neighbor's tree and it looks beautiful from our place.....i think all the snow stuck on the north, so we got the good view. the last one of the picnic table i took around 9 pm hanging out the back door. it gives an idea of how much actual snow we got and that doesn't count the stuff that was rain, or that didn't stick to anything. it seems a bit rude. friend liz called from omaha offering a shovel, but she didn't offer to bring it and push it. former minnesotans can think they're pretty funny. hah.
ah well, we know, we think that we will eventually have spring this year. it will be more than welcome!
i almost forgot the most exciting news from the cali fam. nene at this late date has emerged as a supurb mouser. almost unbelievable. we all thought she would run away, but instead she behaved in a magnificent cattily fashion...batting the poor mouse around in a fun game until the fatal fall of the paw. sigh. she is my new heroine.

Labels: late march snow

today sarah and drove downtown so she could register for pla.....that's the reason we have her here visiting us this week. as we were driving along 6th street she saw a friend from the gates foundation and had to holler at him out the window. the fun begins! she was able to get through that process without the long lines which was a treat. she had to go through several lines to get the right stuff, so registering today was brillaint! she was able to visit the techsoup booth and see that the boxes they need were in deed there waiting to be unpacked.
we also took time to visit the new central library. it's been open 2 years, and sadly this was the first visit for me. it is a beautiful place and well designed. the children's section is adorable as well as functional. there is charming art work and a play area, as well as 3 computer stations. the one for the littlest users has mouses (mice?) that are bugs. the other stations have very cool cars. there are two computers at each of the stations for older kids that have internet access, the others are games only. the keyboards have colored keys, and i think they are certain keys in different colors, but i didn't figure that out.
they had an interesting art display in another area that was about recycling books. that's not exactly what they called it, but it was very interesting and creative.
the treat for this evening was going to dinner with nancy pearl. sarah had arranged this several weeks ago, and i was able to tantalize our local librarians with that info during my last visit.
we ate at cafe brenda and that was nice. we met brenda last night at the edesia book club. they seemed busy and a bit disorganized which has not been my experience during other visits there.
nancy is charming and completely unassuming...a bit uncomfortable with her popularity i think. we were taking pictures, and the women at the table behind us said they recognized her....they were librarians from chicago. it's like a rock star....everyone knows her! this may not be the fun part!
it was a lovely evening.....i really enjoyed it.

Labels: central library, nancy pearl, pla

it's been a busy couple of days. yesterday, sarah and i drove to clear lake, ia, to meet pattie, kinzie and mary......sarah's college roomie, her daughter, and pattie's mom. it's been a long time since i've seen them and we had time for a nice visit in a little restaurant we were assured was the second best in town. the self proclaimed best in town was closed on monday. the vote is still out. :)
pattie and sarah have the kind of friendship that can be picked up like they'd seen each other the day before, although it might be years between face to face visits. it's fun to watch them. we both loved seeing pattie as a loving mom with kenzie. k is a delightful little girl who seemed to enjoy being with the ladies for lunch.
sarah had a conference call from work and we spent part of that time sitting in front of the fire department/police department/city hall/library in hanlontown, iowa. it was a sweet town with a park and old buildings on main street that were being re-used as a museum etc.
it was a good trip. we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the local barnes and noble for the edesia book review. this time it was on mediterranean cooking, and kim had brought a wonderful caponata for everyone to try. it was a recipe with a dozen or more ingredients, but it was worth the effort. perfectly delicious! marie wolfe was there again so it was a treat AGAIN to see her.
we were tired puppies by the time we got home again!

Labels: edesia, iowa, pattie

well, what can i say? this is the first of spring and our weekend treat. it may be sarah's fault after all the words about 70's etc. it's nice to have someone to blame. :)

Labels: sarah, snow, spring

not sure what happened here, but it could be amusing. :)

Labels: cousins in motion

it was fun to see kari and rob, and the kids together. it's been awhile since i've seem them....and this was the first time i'd seen the two youngest little guys. i'm already looking forward to seeing them this summer!

Labels: kari, rob

here's some more cousins....plus, some of the cousins' kids who joined in the fun. i think they enjoyed seeing each other again.....it's been a long time. just practice for the reunion next summer in estes park.

Labels: cousins, kids

here's a couple of photos of the cousins, 6 of the 8 of us. one from kc and one from colorado couldn't make the trip. we are looking pretty good! :)

Labels: cousins

this is baby nathan.....he is not pleased with the world at this particular moment, but he has a really cute smile when he's feeling better. his mom looks way happier!
the other one has the angelic sleeping nathan. i think he had a rough morning!

Labels: beany, nate

this is thomas to whom i am aunt jini.....and he loves me for some unknown reason. he's pretty picky, has been known to bite or scratch his sisters....they really don't think he is very nice. he often isn't, but we are buds. i guess.

Labels: tommy

this bird was pale in comparison to david's magnificently browned roasted chicken, but by gosh i didn't buy it already roasted at the store. it tasted good, especially with the fresh bread and a salad. yum
when i saw the photo with this post, i realized it was a lousy image....i had already sliced the chicken when i remembered to take the picture. so, i deleted it!! next time a better roasting and a timely photo! my pledge to me!!

Labels: roasted chicken

hey.....it really did turn into bread, and it was delicious too! the texture was great, the crust crisp and the inside chewy just like the bakery bread we love. i will keep at this for sure, but this is making me think that the bb may offer even more. ta dah!

Labels: it's bread

i mentioned that i purchased a new bread cookbook last monday at the edesia meeting. today after hemming and hawing i mixed up a batch carefully following the easy instructions. i let it rise, and now it is resting in the refrigerator and we shall be making bread in the next couple of days. if it works, and i have been assured that it does, it's a snap! that's a good thing as i have been intimidated by the long and seemingly involved method in tbb or julia's recipe. maybe if i conquer this one i will go right on and resolve my angst with the others. i hope so.
oh, the book is artisan bread in five minutes a day.

Labels: bread making